Memories in Scarlet
by diabolique
Summary: Centers around the Kurei-Kurenai relationship. Basically, what if he saw someone who looked just like her at the Dark Marshal Combat. How would he react? Rated for mild violence.
1. Chapter 1

   I'm back with more. The idea for this particular story has been floating around in my head for so long that I had practically forgotten how it all started out. I've been dying to write it out for ages but just didn't think that I had the style to do the story justice. I still don't… but I figure if I don't try now, then I never will. Flame of Recca was one of the first anime series that I got hooked onto and it's remained my absolute favorite through the years. I never got to finish the series because %&%$*&% AXN decided to cut out the episodes after Fuuko's fight with Mikoto. So if this story cuts into or ignores any of the stuff that happens after, I'm really sorry but it wasn't my fault – blame AXN. Anyone who wants to review is more than welcome. I crave reviews the way a poet craves a pen. You could say it acts as my ink… keeps the story from running dry. 

Disclaimer: - the sum total of my possessions is a grumpy neutered cat, a computer whose sole purpose is to make me lose my files and a ratty sweater that the cat insists on peeing on. If you want any of these, just let me know – you don't have to sue me to get any of them. I don't own Flame of Recca. Do you really think I'd be quite this grumpy if I did?

P.S. I'm on the hunt for a muse. Any suggestions?

Chapter 1.

   The arena is dark, practically pulsing with nervous energy and bloodlust. People scream in the stands, their faces contorting as they cheer the combat on. Some are screaming in fear as loved ones or team mates fall to those stronger, faster, smarter than them. Tears have chased rivers of blood for a while now. At times, though, the silence is more deafening than the screams. The end is approaching; the reason for this blood filled farce is coming to the surface. Hokage has battled its way steadily forward, dragging honor in its wake – the only team to achieve such fame. Having defeated their opponents in the semi-finals, they finally stand against the Uruha elite. Who would have thought that this team of youths, unhardened by actual battle would reach quite as far as they had? But almost all knew that they would fail in this final battle. In the matter of life or death, they would hesitate to spill blood and that sort of foolishness could not survive. Blood was the price for entry into the world of the Dark Marshal Combat.

   The screen flickered in the small room as a single man relived the events on the day. The glow from the sets cast an eerie, pale light upon an unmasked face, soothing the sight of the hideous burn. The unmarred cheek was propped against a slim, elegant hand as he stared pensively at the repeats upon the screen, the once prevalent mocking smile now conspicuously absent. Hokage was better than he had originally foreseen. The battle that would take place now would finally decide the events set in motion over four hundred years ago. After a day of rest, the finals would begin. And only one would be left standing in the end. Then he would finally know if he was less than the usurper, he would know whether the elders had been right about him not being a fit vessel for the flame.

   But no one said that precautions couldn't be taken. He would study every move, every emotion that passed the face of that hated half-brother. He would discover all his weak points and use them to his own means. Survival of the fittest was the rule for the day and he intended to survive. He was better than that stupid brat - he did not let emotions rule his thoughts. Only once had he made _that _mistake and it would never be repeated. To love, to feel, was to invite pain and betrayal. His heart was stone cold and he intended for it to remain that way. But emotions in others allowed them to be lead, to be exploited. To find the controlling emotion was the only key… and so he spent his time reliving each moment until it was drained of whatever knowledge he could find. He noted the expressions on the face of the healing girl as well. He could use those as well to tame the Hokage when the time arrived. It was obvious that she was the weak link in the chain. They were protecting her because she could do nothing for herself. How ironic, when she held the greatest power among them.

   He was about the leave for the night when a face at the edge of the screen caught his eye. Half hidden behind the crowd cheering for the wind girl was a face. Filled with dismay, it was looking at the arena. Her eyes, the only truly visible parts now, were filled with horror and tears, her hands covered her mouth as if to hold in the choked sobs that her shoulders were shaking with. Her hair was tied back but it held the same glossy sheen, the same silky straightness that he remembered running through his fingers. Arrested, he gazed in disbelief at the face that haunted his nights. There was no possibility that it could be _her_, and yet the evidence was staring him in the face. She was standing up shakily now and looking almost directly into the camera. He could have sworn she was looking right at him except for the vacant, pre-occupied look in her eyes. She stumbled towards the exit, half blinded by tears and disappeared off screen. 

   Struck dumb and motionless, he dropped back into the chair as his knees gave way beneath him. The tape continued as it focused on the remainder of the fight. His eyes remained glued to the screen but his mind was fixed on that moment.  The memories assailed him as the imagined smell of roses filled his nostrils.

_Kurei, I'm so glad that you decided to join me! Isn't this rose beautiful? _

_It's just a rose. I don't care about it one way or another. I could grind it beneath the heel of my shoe if I so wished._

_But we should protect beauty. After all, it's the only thing that makes life truly worth living, isn't it?_

**_A different voice now._**__

_I want you to lose all your useless emotions. I thought you had learned that by now but it appears that I need to teach you a lesson. Watch. Watch your beloved die._

_NO!_

   Surfacing from his memories, Kurei jerked out of his chair, a remembered shout still ringing in his ears. His burn throbbed and he rubbed at it absently as he rewound the tape. He was certain that it was she and yet it couldn't have been. His stomach twisted in an agony of tension as the tape slowly wound it's way back to that moment. And then, her face was on the screen again, looking out with stark desolation in her eyes. He couldn't see what her eyes were looking at but it was obviously enough to move her to tears. The expression was hauntingly familiar, bringing back feelings that he had thought buried years ago. He knew she was dead, he had watched the life leave her body. He had converted that same body into the form of his flame, he could feel her form resting within him… and yet, evidence to the contrary was staring him in the face, literally.

He would have to get to the bottom of this. Pressing a button, his call was immediately answered. In clipped words he ordered her found and brought to him, at all costs. He would get to the bottom of this mess. He would not be toyed with and if this was a trick, the perpetrators would feel his wrath. Briefly the thought passed his mind that his father may have set this moment up as another test. The anger that followed that thought caused his hand to glow brightly blue in suppressed rage. If this was a test, then he would know, but now there was only one thought to dominate his mind.

Had Kurenai returned to him?

Author's note: - feel free to leave constructive criticism if you wish. All reviews are welcome. Vanilla Fox, if you read this, this was the story I had talked about. Silver celeste, I finally got around to writing it. Yay me! To everyone else, thank you for reading this far. If anyone could let me know who it was that Hokage fought before the finals versus Uruha scarlet I'd be really grateful. Thank you all.

As always I remain,

(evil and) diabolique.


	2. Chapter 2

   Hello all. I'm finally back. I'm sorry it took me so long to update. This particular fic got somewhat left at the sidelines because of my inability to remember who the Hokage fought before they fought Uruha Scarlet (or Uruha Kurenai) depending upon your description. I've finally remembered that it was Uruha Maa (if I'm wrong, please correct me). Unfortunately, this knowledge has totally killed the angle I was originally aiming for. I've had to change the entire idea for the fic. I considered taking it down for a while, but it seemed like such a waste. Let me know if this new idea works. Da*mouse, I'm so glad you like my style. I appreciate the praise much more than you can know. I'm also really fond of the whole Kurei – Kurenai relationship. (I cried buckets over the episode where Neon told the story and immediately switched alliances from Fuuko  – my previous favourite – to Kurei. There's just _something_ about a man with a tragic past like that.) Aleah asenath, here's the next chapter. A little late maybe, but better late than never, right? Anyway, I'm moving onwards…

Chapter 2.

   She was running down the corridors, her dark hair flaring behind her. She had to get back before anyone noticed that she had gone missing. But _Oh God, _the _horrors_ that took place in that ring! She hadn't believed him when he had told her to keep away. She had assumed that it was just another of his ploys or tricks. He liked to see how scared he could make her. It repulsed her, the way he would soak in her fear as though fed on the finest of wines and meats, a bloated pig. No expressions were allowed in his world, except that of abject fear and subservience.

_   Well_, _she would not bow!_ He had no _right_ to control her this way! He had taken her from her home, held her against her will and now, he would take anything he could get his hands on. He'd test her, just to see what sort of reaction he could get out of her – a puppy she'd received on her 13th birthday; gutted on her 16th, blood spilling over her hands as she tried to hold it's bowels inside it's body, or a friend she had made among one of the others; dying in the midst of them all, blood and vomit seeping from between his lips as the poison flowed through his system. He would stop at nothing to teach them that his power was absolute. 

 He was already working towards that goal with his hideous project. The project was an abomination and she refused to see it as anything else. How could anything good come from the hand of a man capable of so much evil? The thought that he could one day be revered for this knowledge made her feet tangle together, the repulsion causing her to stumble slightly. But she had to face the fact that it could and very possibly would happen. He already had the support of a number of world leaders. They didn't care to look beyond the shining prize he offered them, and those that did chose to ignore the miserable faces they had seen. 

   She ran on quickly. The crowds would soon disperse after the last match of the day and the people would only delay her. It was useless to think of escape – melting into the crowd and fading into oblivion outside. No one would survive long. And even if they did, who could stand against him when he came to look? A man with wealth and power at his fingertips, a man who obeyed no rules but his own… no one could save her from him. She had come to accept that a long time ago.

   But tonight was for vengeance. It had been gossiped of that one of the Uruha had escaped, defected to Hokage and survived. Perhaps he would not last long, but he had done the impossible so far. If such was possible, then maybe she…

   But she had seen the fight tonight. He was paying for his freedom with blood; his own and that of others. And he was just a boy, younger than her by at least four years if not more. It shocked her to see the anger in his eyes and the maturity, the need to protect. She wouldn't be able to survive that way. Her skills were limited to standing still while the scientists ran their tests. What use would that be in the world outside, or even the world caught within that ring? She would not last a day or so _he_ told her each evening. And she was coming to believe him at last. Perhaps not all he spoke of were lies…

   The corridor ended sharply in a metal door. Her pace slowed slightly as she approached the console. She would have to be stealthy now, and hope that no one had noticed her memorizing the pass-codes. If she was found out, she would pay for her act in more than blood – she would pay in ways that she could not even begin to imagine. A glance out of the side of her eye assured her that no one was in the immediate vicinity. She could hear people talking in the next corridor, but their voices were muted by wood and panelling. Sidestepping carefully, she avoided the surveillance camera's range and began to call up the numbers.

   She was so involved in the sequences, three to be exact, that she failed to notice the soft footfalls behind her. On finding herself suddenly pulled back against someone, she reacted on pure instinct and slammed the back of her hand into their face. The result was disastrous. The dull shriek of steel sliding out of a casing sounded and before her next breath, the sharp tip of a blade was placed against her neck. Her automatic step backwards to avoid the blade only resulted in bringing their bodies closer together. Closing her eyes in dread, she conceded defeat and began to silently recite her one fervent hope "_Please god, not him… please god, not him…"_

   A large, rough hand moved her around to face her assailant. The gentleness of the calloused hand didn't register at that point, nor did she register the care taken to prevent her flesh from being marred. All that registered was that her assailant was male, and large, and frightening… but not _him._ Breathing out a sigh of relief, she nearly collapsed back onto the wall. Dragging in long lung-fulls of air, she gazed curiously at the face of her captor. He really didn't look much like a lab guard. Long hair was held away from his face by a cloth band and was tied further down. His clothing proclaimed to all his status as a ninja, being designed for easy movement, as did the long sword on his back. The dagger he had held to her neck was now being slid into a plain sheath hidden within the folds of his belt. 

   _His belt? _Why was he putting his weapon away? Did he not plan to capture her? The thought finally struck her that perhaps he had only wanted to question her about something and had reacted on instinct to her slap. Perhaps it was all a slight misunderstanding… but a single glance into his serious grey eyes told her otherwise. Her terror was returning. Maybe her punishment was to be death after all – blessed relief and greatest fear all packed into one bloody package.  But then, why _had_ he put his weapon away? Surely he didn't mean to use just his own fists? The pain of that would be excruciating for her… but then, that was probably the point.

   He was saying something. She jerked her thoughts away from the contemplation of the forms of her demise and tried to focus her terror filled thoughts on his words. If only the blood would stop roaring in her ears then she would be able to make sense of his sentences!

   "Kurei-sama wishes your presence. Please follow me."

   Kurei-sama? The son of that devil? Why would he want to see her? As far as she could remember she had never set eyes upon the man… but maybe he was in charge of punishments. She tended to steer clear of anything that would cause retribution for fear of the results, and most who had left the lab earlier either came back in a body bag or failed to return at all. It was possible for this Kurei-sama to be the one to deal with this sort of situation. She jerked her attention back to the man as he continued to speak.

   " I'm sorry for my earlier behaviour. Visitors are not allowed in the lab without special permission and with your reaction… I'm sorry to say that I over reacted. Please accept my apology."

   She nodded quickly, smiling absently as she processed this new bit of information. He didn't know she belonged in the lab! He thought she was a curious visitor trying to investigate something she had found curious! What luck! But wait… then why had she been called to meet with Kurei-sama? He had never met her before, was unaware of her existence as far as she knew of, and this was her first unescorted trip outside of the lab. So then… how did he know of her?

   Her confusion must have been quite evident but the man failed to enlighten her at all. Instead, he took her arm quite firmly and began to lead her down the hall, away from the labs. Casting an anguished look back towards the metal door, she knew that her absence would not go unnoticed. Punishment was sure to be meted out and time was the only question now. She was smart enough not to tug her arm away from the ninja. Given his earlier response to her frightened slap, who knew what he would do if she attempted actual resistance now. She was not keen on finding herself skewered in the middle of the hallway when there was still a chance of escape. There was definitely no returning to the labs now…but maybe the ex-Uruha member of the Hokage would give her shelter. At least that would give her a fighting chance. All she had to do now was survive this meeting with the son and then she would be able to make a run for it.

   So caught up in her thoughts was she, that she barely noticed the roundabout route they took until she soon realized that she could not identify any of the corridors. The ninja led her on purposefully, eyes fixed upon some further unseen image in the corridor. Giving up her attempts to memorize the route, she tried instead to pry answers to her questions out of her escort. Unfortunately, his standard response appeared to be "You'll find out just as soon as you meet Kurei-sama."

   She was beginning to panic in regard to this Kurei-sama now. Was he as mean as his father? Was he cruel and violent in that same strange detached manner? What did he look like? Slightly tubby, with the same bulging eyes as his father? But no… she had heard of his having been adopted, so there was no real way for that to be possible. But her mind resolutely ignored this information and kept injecting the image of a younger Mori Koran into her conscious. She was jerked out of her thoughts by the sight of the ninja stopping outside a large set of ornate wooden double doors. Smiling slightly, he knocked twice before opening the door slightly and motioning for her to precede him into the room.

   Smiling back nervously, she slipped through the narrow opening and into a dark room, illuminated only by the bright lighting of the corridor. The sound of a door shutting gently at her back, as well as the extinguishing of all light made her start nervously. Glancing about, she was unable to make out anything in the vast space of the room. Feeling a presence behind her, she didn't move, suspecting it was still her escort, possibly waiting as well for his Kurei-sama to put on a light. She felt no need to panic even when she felt him move in front of her; she assumed that he was perhaps going to find a light switch himself.

   Suddenly feeling herself jerked forward again, not quite as gently as the last time, she restrained the urge to fling out an arm and settled for emitting a startled squeak instead. A harsh blue light suddenly emerged and she found herself staring into coal black eyes burning out of a smooth mask. Shocked, she tried to move away only to realize his hand was burning, a slow blue glow grew brighter as he brought it towards her cheek! Feeling it's heat, she leaned back in fear.

   "Just who _are _you?" the mask snarled.

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   Author's note: - That's the second chapter out. I've kept the chapter basically from her point of view. I've also deliberately not given her a name. I'm still searching for a really suitable one and any suggestions are welcome. The chapter's a little melodramatic – I seem to be leaning towards drama a lot lately. I hope the chapter is okay, I'm not proof reading it yet since I'm on someone else's computer right now, being that mine blew itself up.  Also, the next chapter will possibly emerge after about 2 weeks. I hope everyone will bear with me – I'm on vacation. Any comments, constructive criticism, random reviews or opinions are more than welcome. I ask for no flames though – I'm a sensitive sort and I'm still learning. 

As always I remain,

diabolque. 


	3. Chapter 3

I'm back. Two great weeks of rest and relaxation have really done wonders for my system. I no longer wake at night in a cold sweat with the thought that I've claimed ceterus paribus is a type of fruit in my exams, or that the main protagonist of 'The Mill on the Floss' should have killed herself earlier on in the book and saved us all a lot of bother. Thank the lord! Anyway, I've been raring to get back to this story. (I spent the majority of my waiting time at the airport writing out a rough sketch of the next chapter.) mitsui_jr, I'm really sorry, but this story is going nowhere near a relationship between Raiha and Kurenai. If you want a story like that, I'd suggest checking out a story by Vanilla Fox instead – she's got the angle you seem to be looking for.  Vanilla Fox, I'm so glad that you found the story. This was the story I was talking about in my earlier review and I'm really hoping that no one else has done anything like it before. I think I've reached a conclusion about her name, and I've justified it at the end. Thanks so much for your support. I'll run along now…

   Chapter 3

Kurei held the girl roughly by the back of her neck and peered at her face, studying the features closely, examining them for any sign of dissimilarity. Her hair was flowing across his wrist and seemed to be taunting him with its dark silk softness. Her features were pale and twisted with fright but she emitted no sound further than her original startled squeak. He brought his flame closer to better study her features and noted with grim satisfaction the deepening panic in her eyes. Her mouth opened slightly in a soundless scream and Kurei revelled in the sensation of power that was flowing through his veins. Whoever she was, she would soon learn not to toy with his emotions. He was almost certain that she was not Kurenai now. She might have exactly the same features, but Kurenai would have said his name by now, Kurenai would have reached out with her hand… touched his face… touched him again…

_Yes, burn my face. I deserve it. Burn me so I can never forget…_

Dragging his mind from the past, he grimly tightened his grip and repeated his question.

 "Who are you?" he ground out harshly. She began to shake in fear, and he noted the trembling with grim satisfaction. She had already learned to fear him – that boded well for her. Her mouth opened slightly but nothing emerged from her throat but a guttural sound of fear. Then her eyes rolled back in her head, leaving the whites of her eyes visible for a moment before she began to drop towards the ground. Kurei carefully loosened his grip and watched her hit the floor with a muffled thud. Her fear had obviously overwhelmed her for the moment, he noted with a growing sense of impatience. He yearned to slap her awake in order to continue his interrogation, but held himself in check. He would take this time to note other matters first.

He walked back to his desk and sank gratefully into the chair that stood behind it, resting one arm on the padded arm of the chair and bringing the other to rest beneath his chin. Based on what he had seen, the girl was an exact replica of Kurenai in every way except one… she wasn't the same age. She was at least three years younger than the original Kurenai would have been if she had remained… alive…

He reined his thoughts in before they approached that dark abyss. The girl was a clone then, or else a person of great similarity in appearance. He was leaning towards the former rather than the latter – the possibility that the girl was an exact look-alike of his lost love who had turned up where she was sure to have been seen by him was too far out of the realms of probability. Therefore, she was more than likely to be a clone, commissioned by his father to test him again, no doubt there. Mori Koran had enjoyed the power given to him over Kurei on that day. It was more than likely that he would chose a twisted version of the same night to re-test Kurei's loyalty to himself. His father would soon learn not to test him that way. Soon… as soon as the cards changed hands… he would learn that to threaten Kurei was to play with death.

Picking up the phone he cast a cursory glance at the girl again. She was lying where he had left her. Only the gentle rise and fall of her chest spoke of life; her limbs splayed out in unconscious portrayal of a corpse. He absently pushed the buttons for the extension, his eyes unwilling to leave the sight that lay before him. There was no blood this time, nor were there the harsh gurgling sounds that came with a fight to breathe. Instead there was silence pressing in on him… and the dark. A sharp click sounded on the other end of the line and brought him back from his comparisons. Raiha's voice sounded out a quick greeting, the faint tenseness in his voice indiscernible to all but the few who knew him well. It was obvious to Kurei that this call had been anticipated and dreaded…

"Where did you find her?" The question was curt and to the point, cutting through any useless conversation that might have bridged the awkward pause before Raiha's answer. The pause on the other end of the line was significant before the quiet answer. 

"Just outside the laboratory. She was trying to get in. Kurei-sama, from what I've notice…"

Kurei hung up the phone impatiently, barely managing to restrain himself from flinging it against a wall. She was a clone then! Damn his father! He though that he could inflict as much pain… as much suffering as he wished… but he would soon receive just retribution… He, Kurei, would no longer be Mori Koran's little puppet. But first, he needed to deal with the problem that was currently sprawled out over his carpet. 

Pushing himself to his feet, he moved quickly to the corner of the room where a small mini-bar was maintained. Extracting a single bottle of water from the many that filled its confines, he slowly strolled over to where the girl lay.  He yanked the cap off and somewhat harshly flung the contents of the bottle upon her face. The resultant sputtering noises did much to improve his mood. Kurei watched the clone cough and stutter curses while trying to push her wet hair out of her eyes. The sight brought a cold, chilling smile to his features.

"What in God's name -?" she muttered, yanking at her hair. She had obviously no memory of his presence at this point. Kurei chose to remind her. Shoving his hand into her hair, he yanked almost hard enough to snap her neck. Her involuntary cry of pain brought a tinge of satisfaction with it. If she would scream with just this little ache, she would make a lot of noise while dying. Good. He would make her suffer for raking up those old memories and for daring to pretend to be _her_.

Her terror-filled eyes were staring into his again. The scent of roses wafted to him, and his eyes narrowed at this further intrusion upon his memories of Kurenai. Her face was paling even further under his regard. The girl had begun to tremble. Kurei sighed in irritation as he recognised the signs – she was going to faint again. This time though, he drew back his free had and backhanded her across her face. Her head snapped to the side before falling forward slightly. Her moan of pain mixed with her cry of fear as he yanked her head back once more.

 Her cheek was red and a small trickle of blood from the side of her mouth showed signs of a split lip. Unwillingly he was dragged back into the memory of Kurenai's features after his father had slapped her. She had been so afraid, but she had thought that the danger was to him. She hadn't realised yet that she had signed her very own death warrant the day he had confessed his love. But then, she hadn't wavered for an instant even after she found out that it was she who was to die. Even knowing that, she had admitted to her love… had admitted to caring for a boy who was too weak to save her…

The feeling of wetness on his palm brought him back from the past. The girl was crying. For some reason, the previous memory and her tears served to weaken him slightly. "Who are you?" he repeated, softer than before, "and don't bother trying to faint again. It irritates me." Her mouth opened and closed a few times. It was obvious that her voice was failing her. His anger was just beginning to return when she whispered.

"I'm… I'm… my name is…is… Kurenai."

Author's note: - I'm sorry this chapter is so small but I couldn't help it. It's writing itself and I don't have much say in the matter. I'm getting into the habit of writing drama. I can't help myself any more. I've kept her name the same as the original Kurenai because of two main reasons – 

1. In the 'Flame of Recca' episode where Yanagi and Recca explored the mansion and the laboratory, I remembered that the names given for the clone tanks made for the Uruha were the same as their own names (eg. Genjuroh, if I'm not mistaken). Therefore, it stands to reason that it would be simple enough to call her Kurenai. Also, she would be expected to play the part of Kurenai later while Mori Koran tests Kurei's emotions. 

2. It gives me licence to play with Kurei's emotions. (heh heh heh.)

Anyway, I hope the chapter was okay. I'm not really satisfied with it yet, but I can't figure out what it's missing right now. When I do, I'll come back to it. Any reviews, comments, constructive criticism or ideas are more than welcome, but no flames please. I'm still new and learning. 

As always I remain,

Diabolique. 


End file.
